Cinematic Bible Songs
Listen NowSupport
ENESBRPH
ENESBRPH
SearchSupportListen Now

Proverbs 9

Proverbs 9

The big picture

Proverbs 9 opens in verse 1 with “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:”, reaches its middle movement near verse 9 with “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will…”, and closes in verse 18 with “But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of…” Repeated or prominent terms include understanding, wise, simple, bread, city. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.

Scripture beside the summary

Proverbs · King James Version · 18

Proverbs 9:1-6

1–6: Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

Proverbs 9:1–6 opens with “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:” and reaches “Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Two contrasting invitations and tables: Wisdom’s prepared feast and Folly’s stolen meal, with particular weight carried by mingled, understanding, wine.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:” By verse 3, the text has turned to “She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,” It lands on “Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. Its subjects, actions, connecting terms, and consequences reveal how the thought develops before any interpretation is added.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as mingled, understanding, wine, beasts, bread, builded tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Two contrasting invitations and tables: Wisdom’s prepared feast and Folly’s stolen meal,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include She, Come, Forsake, Whoso, Wisdom. Its number language includes seven. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 3: “She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: mingled, understanding, wine, beasts, bread, builded

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Proverbs 9:1

    “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:” The number seven makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

  2. Proverbs 9:2

    “She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.” Naming She keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  3. Proverbs 9:3

    “She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,” Naming She keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  4. Proverbs 9:4

    “Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,” Naming Whoso keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Proverbs 9:5

    “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.” Naming Come keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  6. Proverbs 9:6

    “Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.” Naming Forsake keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

Proverbs 9:1-6

King James Version

1Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

2She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

3She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

4Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

5Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

6Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

Proverbs 9:7-12

7–12: He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that…

Proverbs 9:7–12 opens with “He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth…” and reaches “If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Two contrasting invitations and tables: Wisdom’s prepared feast and Folly’s stolen meal, with particular weight carried by wise, getteth, scorner.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man…” By verse 9, the text has turned to “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will…” It lands on “If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 stated contrast, 1 verse naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as wise, getteth, scorner, bear, beginning, blot tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Two contrasting invitations and tables: Wisdom’s prepared feast and Folly’s stolen meal,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Give, Reprove. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: wise, getteth, scorner, bear, beginning, blot

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Proverbs 9:7

    “He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.” The line’s distinctive content terms include getteth, blot, rebuketh. Its relationship to verses 8 shows what work it does in this passage.

  2. Proverbs 9:8

    “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” Naming Reprove keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  3. Proverbs 9:9

    “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” Naming Give keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  4. Proverbs 9:10

    “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” The line’s distinctive content terms include beginning, fear, holy. Its relationship to verses 9 and 11 shows what work it does in this passage.

  5. Proverbs 9:11

    “For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

  6. Proverbs 9:12

    “If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.” The line’s distinctive content terms include wise, bear, scornest. Its relationship to verses 11 shows what work it does in this passage.

Proverbs 9:7-12

King James Version

7He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

8Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

11For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

12If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.

Proverbs 9:13-18

13–18: A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.

Proverbs 9:13–18 opens with “A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.” and reaches “But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Two contrasting invitations and tables: Wisdom’s prepared feast and Folly’s stolen meal, with particular weight carried by knoweth, simple, bread.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.” By verse 15, the text has turned to “To call passengers who go right on their ways:” It lands on “But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 stated contrast. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as knoweth, simple, bread, call, city, clamorous tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Two contrasting invitations and tables: Wisdom’s prepared feast and Folly’s stolen meal,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Stolen, Whoso. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 18: “But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: knoweth, simple, bread, call, city, clamorous

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Proverbs 9:13

    “A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.” The line’s distinctive content terms include clamorous, foolish, knoweth. Its relationship to verses 14 shows what work it does in this passage.

  2. Proverbs 9:14

    “For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

  3. Proverbs 9:15

    “To call passengers who go right on their ways:” The line’s distinctive content terms include call, passengers, right. Its relationship to verses 14 and 16 shows what work it does in this passage.

  4. Proverbs 9:16

    “Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,” Naming Whoso keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Proverbs 9:17

    “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” Naming Stolen keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  6. Proverbs 9:18

    “But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” The line’s distinctive content terms include dead, depths, guests. Its relationship to verses 17 shows what work it does in this passage.

Proverbs 9:13-18

King James Version

13A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.

14For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

15To call passengers who go right on their ways:

16Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

17Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

18But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.

Questions to keep in mind while reading

  1. Follow the speaker, images, parallel lines, questions, and emotional movement.
  2. Notice where tension or suffering resists an easy answer.
  3. Read a saying as wisdom for faithful discernment, not as a mechanical promise detached from context.

Text first

Where readers differ

The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.

The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.

Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.

Questions beneath the surface

  1. What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Proverbs 9?
  2. Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
  3. What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
  4. Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?

Questions for serious personal contemplation

These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.

Observe without rushing

  1. What part of Proverbs 9 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?

  2. Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?

  3. Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Two contrasting invitations and tables: Wisdom’s prepared feast and Folly’s stolen meal?

  4. What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?

Examine your inner life honestly

  1. Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?

  2. What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?

  3. Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?

  4. If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?

Respond with wisdom and courage

  1. What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?

  2. How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?

  3. What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?

  4. What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?